The Celebrated and the Dead
One of Meilir Brevil's works based on the adventures of him and Taeris Redcrash. It covers one of their journeys through High Rock on the road to New Imperia, where they do battle with a gorgon, get captured by trolls, and attempt to hunt down a stash of gryphon feathers in a giant's lair. Excerpt …it was like a great fire had been struck upon the stone as the swords’ edges rained down showers of sparks. That is correct, gentle reader, I say sword''s'' because it was none other than Taeris the Red himself fighting, ole Twinblade, the Man with Two Swords. And what a sight it was. Here, outnumbered a dozen to one, and he did not flinch, did not bat an eye. Sweet reader, I wish I could say I am as bold, brave, and brash as my friend, but t’would simply not be the truth. Taeris faced insurmountable odds, unbeatable, impossible odds, and did not back down. Look close now, dear bookworm, for I will attempt to describe this as best I can. What came next was a blur of motion, as the Redcrash took down each of his assailants. A flash of movement, the sight of a leaf drifting on the wind, and then he was in action, tearing through his opponents. Timid bibliophiles, what I saw will haunt me for the rest of my life. Now I have said before that I do not think Taeris to be an unsavory individual. I imagine, in situations such as this, when armed met meet him on the highway, alone, and heavy with loot, and think him an easy target, he stops to debate. Not with them, but with his own morality. He asks himself questions. Is he a good man? I do not think so. Does he try to be? I believe he does. When Taeris finds himself in situations like these he does not draw his swords and flip a switch and becomes a man of violence. No. For Taeris, combat is his art, his blades are his brushes, the battlefield his canvas, and his enemies, unfortunately for them, his paint. See, naïve, ignorant purveyor of literature, what I saw will haunt for the sheer brutality of what followed. Taeris’ style of combat is practical, not flashy. And for that reason it is also quite messy, as he eliminates each target as quickly and effectively as possible. When each of his unworthy foes lay dead and bleeding on cobblestone road, they lay not as twelve corpses, but thirty-two pieces, all that I could count at the time. For the sight, although I had seen such displays of Taeris’ skill before, sickened even me. In the seething sunlight, it appears the road had received a fresh coat of red paint, so was the extent of the gore, and one could distinguish one man from the other so mangled were their corpses. But managed like the meat in a butcher’s deli—not torn apart by a wild animal, but a professional’s practiced blade. I must stop here, tender friends, for even now, reflecting back on that moment, brings a wave of nausea over me, and I know Taeris would not want me writing too deeply on what he sees as one of his more monstrous moments. With the threat dealt with, we mounted again and set off, continuing onward to New Imperia. The road from Daggerfall had proved a challenge already. Because remember, my lovely audience, before encountering these bandits, we had run across a gorgon on the outskirts of Evermor… Category:Books Category:Morgannic Canon Category:Works by Meilir Brevil